Horry County, SC Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

Table 5 of the Horry County Zoning Ordinance names 25 tree species and varieties as county-protected, each triggering protection at a lower 'Protected' diameter at breast height (DBH) and a higher 'Specimen' DBH. Bald cypress, pecan, sycamore, black and water tupelo, and most oaks (laurel, live, post, southern red, water, willow, white and yellow) are protected at 8 inches DBH and become Specimen Trees at 24 inches; dogwood is protected at just 4 inches DBH (12 inches Specimen), American holly and river birch at 6 inches (12 and 18 inches Specimen), and Southern magnolia at 8 inches (16 inches Specimen).

A, no listed tree may be removed until the owner submits a tree survey documenting its species and DBH, and approval to remove it, apart from Specimen Live Oaks, must come from the Zoning Administrator or a designee. E, either with replacement canopy trees sized to match the removed tree's total DBH (a 2-to-1 caliper credit for Protected Trees, 4-to-1 for Specimen Trees) or a fee in lieu of $150 per required replacement tree, paid into a county fund earmarked for landscaping, irrigation and park land; that fee doubles for Protected and Specimen live oaks.

This applies to non-residential, multi-family, quadruplex, townhome and in-common residential projects countywide, and to tree surveys required along the Table 1 corridor roads; single-family and duplex lots are otherwise exempt from Article V's landscaping rules but not from these tree-removal standards.